Having now seen the whole special, I can safely say that you can watch the special before watching the movie. It’s not a completely smooth transition. With Episode 1, you’ll have to contend with the weird cut to a deleted scene from Season 1. The first half of Episode 2 is an expanded retelling of one of the first scenes of the movie and without spoiling too much, the second half withholds a little bit of information provided by the movie. For the most part however, the special is chronologically set right before the movie and it does help justify what ultimately happens in the movie. Visually, it might be weird seeing Shaft’s art and animation in between Bibury’s contributions but that’s something you can look the other way on. Watching the special before the movie should work just fine.
Episode 2 starts with Futaro and the quintuplets’ trip to a swimming pool. The movie does adapt this scene, albeit in a brief montage with its opening theme. From the movie version, you would think all there is to this scenario is fanservice and abridging it was an easy decision. As it turns out however, there is actually some character discourse to be found here. The trip to the pool is the first major group interaction between Futaro and the quintuplets after the Kyoto trip. Considering how the previous adventure went, Itsuki is concerned that her sisters will get into catfights again. She initially tries to keep Futaro all to herself but that quickly goes south once the others find them. Fortunately for her sanity, everyone is getting along just fine. The only potential landmine is when the gang has to divide into pairs for the water slide and that’s thankfully and humorously resolved by some good old Rock, Papers, Scissors. I took for it the granted this when I watched the movie version but this is a nice reprieve after the tension seen in the Kyoto trip and before we get to the final arc.
When the gang heads back home, Itsuki asks Yotsuba (Ayane Sakura) again if she really is okay with not telling Futaro about her being Rena’s true identity and resigning herself to the friend zone. Yotsuba once again claims that she is and the special revisits some past scenes, this time from Yotsuba’s perspective, to elaborate her reasoning. The movie didn’t really do this so it’s really interesting to see the new context. Definitely the biggest moment of clarity is Itsuki being the one who acted as Rena in Season 2 and Yotsuba being the one who came up with the idea. I already figured that Itsuki donned the costume after Season 2 and the movie but I didn’t realize Yotsuba was in on it. That does explain why Itsuki knows about Rena’s identity in the first place. It also casts an interesting context on that old scene. Rena told Futaro to move on and now we know why. It’s so that Rena herself can bury the feelings she has for Futaro.
The full context is “reserved” for the movie but you more or less get a clear picture on Yotsuba’s character. Yotsuba wanted to reveal herself to Futaro since the first day they reunite in high school but she decides against it when she notices Futaro’s grades. Given Yotsuba’s poor grades and Season 2’s implication that her promise with Futaro had something to do with academics, you can infer that she’s too embarrassed that she could not keep her end of the deal and that’s why she keeps her identity a secret. Yotsuba nevertheless tried to rekindle her relationship with Futaro when he becomes her tutor, hence her being the first quint on board with the arrangement, but she backs off when her sisters develop feelings for him. At this point in the chronological order, you can piece together why Yotsuba is giving her sisters a chance with Futaro while denying herself one. Otherwise, it’s something that’s only explicitly elaborated by the movie.
I love how the flashbacks keep cutting to Yotsuba on the swing. That was one of my favorite things from Season 2. Yotsuba mentioned that frequently visits that playground but this scene is the first time where we actually see how often she’s been there. It’s the perfect location to have Yotsuba internally contemplate on her love for Futaro and the race that her sisters have created for themselves. Also, seeing that unused swing next to hers, really conveys the loneliness or emptiness she’s feeling.
It’s really depressing that this segment with Yotsuba is the last major one in the special. Like, I already saw the movie and this gives me the urge to watch it again. That said, I’m glad to see this girl get another chance in the spotlight. I love Yotsuba, I think she ultimately has the best arc out of the five quintuplets, but her arc is a slow burn and it only truly clicks by the end of the series. Giving her some extra screentime helps mitigate that issue. Fortunately, this is not the exact note the special ends on. It instead concludes with the gang talking about the upcoming school festival, setting up the events of the movie. I’m sure nothing crazy and emotional will happen there!
With that, I truly am done with The Quintessential Quintuplets. It’s really weird to end the series with this special since I technically saw the actual ending beforehand but that’s what I get for going by release order. I highly recommend watching this special before getting to the movie so that you can enjoy the anime in a more chronological and coherent fashion and to give the movie more impact. I don’t think I’d call this two-parter one of the best episodes of the series but it was definitely a fun time. The Quintessential Quintuplets really grew on me, especially towards the end, so even though it was brief and jarring, I’m glad that I got to enjoy this series for a little big longer.
Xenodude Scribbles 